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The creator of Breaking Bad, Vince Gilligan, answered the internet’s questions on a Reddit AMA. Here are some of the unanswered questions people wanted to know about the hit show, Breaking Bad.

Does Jesse end up happy?

I really believe so. In my mind, yes. Don’t take that as gospel, just take that as what I personally want to believe.
It really is up to the individual viewer, however. There is no definitive answer, and it was left that way on purpose so that you guys could come up with the ending for Jesse that you saw fit. And for me, that ending was… ultimately… peace.

2

When Hank found the “WW” in the book in Walt’s bathroom, was there a point in the writer’s room where you guys thought about having Walt convince Hank to join the “dark side”, and come work for Walt?

You know, every idea was fair game for discussion in the writers’ room. So the idea of Hank becoming a bad guy probably was floated at one point or another, but I couldn’t swear to it in a court of law. However, we wouldn’t have talked about it for long, because it just seemed to us that Hank was too much of a straight-arrow to go for that.

3

Both Bryan Cranston and Bob Odenkirk were primarily known for comedic careers prior to working on the Breaking Bad universe, so were there any improvised moments that were just so good that you decided to keep them in the final cut?

Great question. In terms of Bryan and Bob, I’ve got to think about that for a moment. In the meantime, the all-time best improv from “Breaking Bad”…the one that instantly springs to mind…was when, in the episode “Four Days Out,” Aaron Paul said the line “A robot?”
The credit for that line goes to Nick, our 1st AC. Just brilliant!

4

Was badger and skinny Pete’s conversation at Jesse’s party about the pizzas not being sliced written in after the fact to explain how Walters pizza landed on the roof intact? Everyone knows a sliced pizza would have come apart.

Yes! We had a long discussion before we shot the pizza on the roof scene about whether or not the pizza should be sliced — because, as all you physicists know, a thrown, sliced pizza would come apart due to centrifugal force or angular momentum (or something like that).
And yet, you’re right: no self-respecting pizza parlor sells an unsliced pizza. So we figured we needed to explain it (in the “They pass the savings on to you” scene), or else face our audience’s righteous wrath!

5

How much thought do you personally put in the music during certain scenes? “Gus’ last walk” in the final episode of season 4, for example, was very memorable in part thanks to the music. Is this something you think about yourself or are other people mostly responsible for this?

Music is indeed very important to me…as is silence. Both are crucial, it seems to me, in telling a story via “motion pictures” (I still use that old-fashioned term, because it covers both movies and television nicely). Having said that, all credit for the wonderful source music we used on “Breaking Bad” and continue to use on “Better Call Saul” goes to Thomas Golubic, our music supervisor. He’s the one with the fantastic ear and bottomless knowledge. His taste is impeccable, and he always provides an embarrassment of riches, musically speaking. Out of the many excellent choices he provides us, Peter Gould and I pick the song we like best.

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6

How do you bring out such depth in your characters to make them emotionally connect with the audience?

Always find something to love about your characters… even if it’s only something small. Always try to find a way to invest in them emotionally. And when you write a scene, always ask yourself: are these people behaving like real, recognizable human beings?
That last bit of advice is something that a lot of writers ignore when they’re in a pell-mell rush to write cool, exciting scenes. To my mind, the most exciting scene in the world will ultimately fall flat if the characters in it aren’t behaving in a way that we can comprehend. As an example: in a horror movie, when the teenagers split up to explore the haunted house!

7

Is Walter White dead?

Sure looked that way to me!

8

If Walter would have been caught for all the crimes he committed, what would his last meal be?

Breakfast cereal! Oh wait, that’s his son.

9

You’ve talked about how ‘Once Upon a Time In the West’ influenced Breaking Bad. What was your experience the first time you saw it, to leave such a lasting impression on you?

Actually, I don’t remember the first time I saw the movie. But I wound up rewatching it about ten years ago, and I was immediately struck by that fantastic, nearly silent opening sequence at the train station. What bravura filmmaking!

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